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| Latvian Ambassador to Seoul Peteris Vaivars, ninth from left in the front row, poses with other heads of diplomatic missions in Korea during a reception to celebrate Latvia's 100th independence anniversary at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Hannam-dong, Nov. 16. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo |
By Yi Whan-woo
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| Peteris Vaivars |
Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars said the visits of President Raimonds Vejonis and other Latvian leaders to Korea, along with the centenary of independence, made this year special for bilateral relations.
The envoy suggested the Korean head of state should visit his country soon.
"This year of 2018 was indeed a very special year for Latvia, Korea and for the whole world. The PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games and summit diplomacy of President Moon Jae-in led to peace and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula," Ambassador Vaivars said during a reception.
He said the Latvian president was among the first world leaders to confirm his participation in the Olympic Games opening ceremony in February.
He said a summit, along with bilateral visits of three Latvian officials — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economics Arvils Aseradens, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics and Defense Minister Bergmanis — helped bolster the Seoul-Riga dialogue in a constructive manner.
"In this regard, I am very confident that in its famous pali-pali style, Korea will find a way to remove itself from the shortlist of countries whose head of state, head of government and ministers have never visited Latvia for a bilateral visit," Vaivars said. "We are looking forward to welcoming Korean politicians in Latvia any time."
In a separate speech posted on the embassy's website, he said Latvia and Korea shared "common values of democracy, protection of human rights and the understanding of rule-based international order and peace."
He underscored Latvia's potential in the global economy, pointing out that the world was driven by the data-driven economics, digital transformation and artificial intelligence and that Latvia could cope with this as one of world's top 10 fastest internet providers.
"We are ready to challenge Silicon Valley and Asia in this global competition, and that is the reason why leading 5G players, from all over the world, including Korean Samsung and other companies just recently met in Latvia on Sept. 27-28 for the Baltic Sea Region 5G Ecosystem Forum ‘5G Techritory,'" he said.
"Our region offers perfect test-bed for new technologies to be tested and optimized; our main technology providers are open to cooperate with innovative and technological companies and we have well-established cooperation between academia, businesses and government institutions.
"Welcome to Latvia — Startup friendly and supportive environment and your Gateway to Europe."
Meanwhile, the reception featured a performance by Lavia's Emils Darzins Mixed Choir as well as traditional Latvian food and alcoholic drinks.
The Baltic nation proclaimed its independence on Nov. 18, 1918, under the leadership of Karlis Ulmanis, before it was invaded by Soviet Russia. Latvia fully restored independence in August 1991.
Both Latvia and Korea were admitted to the United Nations on Sept. 17, 1991. They established formal diplomatic relations on Oct. 22 the same year.
The foreign ministers of the two countries signed an Air Traffic Agreement in September, fueling optimism for tourism, trade and people-to-people exchanges.
Vaivars is Latvia's first residing ambassador to Korea since its embassy opened here in 2015.
